


The Language of Flowers

by canthelpmyselves



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: M/M, Wooing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-02
Updated: 2019-04-02
Packaged: 2019-12-31 21:47:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18322586
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/canthelpmyselves/pseuds/canthelpmyselves
Summary: Len doesn't know who keeps sending the flowers, but they do brighten up the office.





	The Language of Flowers

**Author's Note:**

> I'm feeling sappy. Not my usual style, a bit blunt and short, but it made me smile, so I hope it does the same for all of you.

Len looked at the vase the bartender had set in front of him with confusion. “Pretty sure that isn’t what I ordered, Jack.”

Jack set a bottle of beer beside the vase and shrugged. “Arrived right after I opened. Delivery guy said they were for you.”

Len studied the blue dahlias and white roses carefully. “Someone delivered flowers. For me. Here.”

Jack nodded, leaning his left arm on the bar top and lighting a cigarette. “Yep.”

“Did you get a name?” Len asked.

Jack snorted. “Nope.”

Len huffed, growing annoyed. “Was there a card?”

“Nope.”

“What florist?”

“Huh?”

Len resisted the urge to punch the gruff bartender. “What florist shop did the delivery guy work for?”

Jack shrugged. “Don’t know. Wasn’t wearing a uniform. Just some college kid, looked like. He came in, set them on the bar and said that they were for ‘the ice cold man with the chill personality’. Knew immediately who he meant.”

Len smirked at the pun and carefully reached out to touch one of the dahlias. He wasn’t sure what to think, to be honest. Why would someone send him flowers? Was it a message? A prank? Maybe they were actually meant for someone else? 

Len picked up the vase and carried it up to his office above the bar. He set the flowers on the desk and sat down. Other than Jack, only the Rogues knew he owned the bar, and he couldn’t imagine any of them sending him flowers. 

“Trying to make this place look less like a dive?” his sister asked as she stepped into the office with Mick and Axel right behind her.

“They’re pretty,” Axel said, leaning over to sniff them before plopping down on the sofa.

“They’re girlie,” Mick grunted.

Len ignored them all as he pulled out a notebook. “Lisa, I need you to get me the blueprints for Kingland Jewelry over on Union. Make sure you find out who their security contract is for. Mick, Tucker found a buyer for those gold coins so I want you and Axel to deliver them. Double count the payment.”

Mick nodded and grabbed Axel by his collar and hauled him to his feet. “Let’s go, squirt.” 

Lisa frowned faintly as she studied the flowers. 

“What?” Len asked calmly, hoping she didn’t ask any questions. 

She shook her head before heading to the door. “Nothing. Just trying to remember what dahlias mean. All flowers have a special meaning.”

As soon as he was certain she was gone he opened his laptop and googled dahlias. _Elegance and dignity_. Hmm. Okay, so that didn’t sound like a warning or threat. He looked up the meaning of blue flowers and immediately squirmed a bit in his seat. _Desire, love, and the metaphysical striving for the infinite and unreachable_. So someone was trying to tell him they thought he had dignity and considered him desirable? Or maybe they thought he was elegant but unreachable? Okay, none of that made sense. He’s a cold-hearted bastard and the only people who wanted him, did so because they wanted protection, power or money.

Len shut the laptop and leaned back in his seat. They were nice flowers, though. And they smelled pleasant. 

* * *

Len eyed the new arrangement with a wary eye. Jack just shrugged one shoulder and continued cleaning shot glasses. Len huffed and carried the planter upstairs. Setting it in the window he powered up his laptop, again. It took a few minutes to figure out the red flowers were gladiolus. His pulse jumped when he saw they meant strength of character, never giving up or infatuation. 

In the center of the five bulbs was a secondary pot, this one no bigger than a tall shot glass, filled with water and two bamboo stalks. Another google search narrowed down the message, since two stalks represented love and luck. 

Len hesitantly reached out and traced one of the petals with a finger. 

* * *

Five days later it was a dozen yellow snapdragons in a cut crystal vase. Len was a bit confused by these. Snapdragons symbolized deviousness which was pretty self-explanatory, but yellow ones meant happiness. Red would have been more in keeping with the previous floral gifts since they meant love or passion. The dahlias had wilted a few days earlier, so he set these in their place before going to the window and watering the living plants. He could admit to himself that they did brighten up the office a bit. 

* * *

The fourth arrangement came ten days later. Len hated to admit it, but he’d actually been getting a tiny bit anxious when a whole week went by without anything. These were very unusual flowers, though. They sort of resembled roses, but with a lot more layers. After a full day of searching images, Len took the small terracotta pot to the closest florist and asked the older man behind to counter to identify them.

Once he knew the name, he headed home to his real apartment, not one of his numerous safe houses. He placed the pot on the kitchen table and used his phone to look up ranunculus flowers. _Charming and attractive_. His heart fluttered, something that was happening more and more with each new arrangement. He watered the soil and set about making himself some dinner. 

He should really figure out who was sending him these.

* * *

Len stared at the single flower in front of him with mixed feelings. On one hand, he loved that this man had gone to so much effort just to woo him. On the other, he found it hard to believe that this hero saw something worth pursuing in him. He took a deep breath and looked up into Barry’s hazel eyes, shining so brightly with hope.

“Plumeria,” Barry said softly. “They symbolize the chance of a new beginning.”

Len carefully reached out and took the flower from him. He twirled it between his fingers as he tried to figure out what to say. 

“I know most people won’t understand,” Barry continued, his voice still gentle. “I told you that there’s more good in you than you think. I know this because I wouldn’t love you if you were truly evil. And I do, Len. You’re overly dramatic, loyal, funny, smart, devious and incredibly sexy. All I’m asking for is a chance. Let me show you that we can be good together. Let me love you the way you deserve to be loved.”

Len swallowed hard and took a took a deep breath. He reached out and tucked the flower behind Barry’s left ear before smiling softly. “Okay.”


End file.
